Chapter 36: In the Midst of Growth
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
Time seemed to stretch infinitely the second Mr. Beach put down the phone. The haunting noise of his front door slowly creaking open resonated throughout the house. It was as if the walls themselves were amplifying the entrance of something, or someone, from the outside. Faint noises followed, akin to a child’s fingers lightly grazing objects, like when an intrigued toddler sifts through a chest of forgotten toys.
However, these seemingly innocent sounds elicited a chilling response from Mr. Beach. His heart raced uncontrollably, each beat echoing the dread consuming him. The very notion that there was a ghost child presence, hidden just out of sight, was too much for him. The mere contemplation of facing this ghostly visitor paralyzed him with fear, rendering him unable to approach or even open the door.
But there are moments when one must confront their deepest fears head-on.
The subtle disturbances in the living room soon subsided, suggesting the ethereal child had lost interest in its new toys. But then, muted footsteps began. Each step drew nearer and grew louder, stopping only when they reached the door separating Mr. Beach from the intruder.
“Mom, Dad! Please, you need to go! It’s here for me, I just know it,” Coral’s voice wavered, dripping with pure panic, as if she could tangibly feel the ghost’s chilling aura.
“Sweetheart, we could never abandon you. What are you saying?” Mrs. Ocean cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. Turning to her husband, she said, “Whatever is behind that door, we stand united.”
Empowered by his wife’s determination, Mr. Beach summoned all his courage. He picked up a coat hanger as his makeshift weapon, ready to face the lurking shadow and protect his family.
“Don’t do it, Dad! We were warned that ghosts can’t be harmed by ordinary means. We need to get Miles; he’s the only one who can help!” Coral’s voice was desperate, trying to deter her father from potential harm. Mrs. Ocean held her tightly.
“I’ve already called Miles,” Mr. Beach whispered, trying to console them, “I’ve promised him half a million if he can rid us of this menace. He’ll be here shortly.”
Then, a soft, almost imperceptible click sounded. The door’s lock began its slow turn, and the door itself edged open as if gently nudged by unseen hands.
Suddenly, the pale face of a child appeared in the gap. Its eyes, devoid of any humanity and as black as the night, darted around the room before fixing menacingly on Coral.
Both Mrs. Ocean and Coral screamed in absolute terror.
Driven by a father’s protective instinct, Mr. Beach shouted, “Stay away!” and lunged at the ghostly apparition, coat hanger raised.
As Mr. Beach lunged at the ghost child with the coat hanger, the ghost effortlessly sidestepped him, darting towards Coral with unnerving velocity. Its mouth, grotesquely stretched open, was an endless void, absent of a tongue or teeth. Its intent was clear: to engulf Coral within its dark abyss.
Mr. Beach was rooted to the spot, a mix of terror and anger immobilizing him, while Mrs. Ocean and Coral clung to each other, their screams echoing relentlessly in the confined space.
Then, abruptly, the room’s ambiance shifted. The bedroom light began to flicker erratically, eventually settling into a deep, blood-red glow that bathed everything in its eerie light. It felt like being trapped under the gaze of a malevolent eye.
A deafening “Bang!” pierced the silence. The ghost infant was thrown violently across the room, crashing into a heavy wardrobe with a resounding thud.
From the shadows emerged a figure drenched in the crimson illumination. It was Miles, holding a phone. Bizarrely, his face and the backs of his hands were marked with multiple shifting, blood-red eyes that seemed to independently track the ghost’s movements.
“I tried calling,” Miles started with a sardonic tone, “but you didn’t pick up. I half-thought I’d find you all dead and wondered if the local crematorium might be busy tonight. A pity to stand in line.”
His attention then shifted to the entity that now, instead of crawling, stood upright. “Right really did something unthinkable,” Miles muttered under his breath. He recalled the cryptic warning written on the human skin. The entity that had been inside Right was extraordinary, and the nature of its fully developed form was unpredictable.
“Miles?” Coral’s voice quivered with a mix of relief and hope upon recognizing him. To her, he seemed to be the beacon of hope amidst this chaos.
However, Mr. Beach was incredulous. “You’re Miles? How did you even enter?”
Miles smirked. “How can I claim your generous fee if a mere door can stop me? Given the evolving nature of this entity, Mr. Beach, the price for my services just went up.”
It was clear he wasn’t jesting. The ghost child had transformed, becoming even more sinister. Miles confided, “Initially, I could repel this entity with only four eyes, but its power has increased. If it surpasses the influence of six eyes, I might have to reconsider my involvement.” He shot a glance at the group, suggesting that his loyalty had its limits. For a few strangers, he wasn’t ready to lay down his life.
Seeing the indecision in Miles’s demeanor, Mr. Beach, ever the cunning negotiator, quickly chimed in, “I’ll raise the offer to a million dollars. And there’s a substantial bonus awaiting you once this ordeal is over.”
Miles let out a resigned sigh. “It seems I’ve been undervaluing my unique skill set. Perhaps I should’ve aimed higher from the start.”
In the world of supernatural dealings, a million dollars was a sum that piqued interest. Such was the going rate in this peculiar industry.
Redirecting his focus to the ghost child, Miles realized that with the ghost domain now open, time was of the essence.
The ghost child slowly got back on its feet, its head tilting eerily to one side. Those deep, void-like eyes locked onto Miles, sizing him up. The sickly greenish-black hue of its skin seemed to ooze malevolence and decay. The earlier counterattack from Miles hadn’t injured it; rather, it had merely been a temporary setback due to the unforeseen intrusion of the ghost domain.
One thing was certain: ghosts couldn’t be annihilated. Only a ghostly entity can successfully counter another. It was a basic law in Miles’s line of work: repelling a ghost wasn’t synonymous with annihilating it.
Pondering aloud, Miles mused, “Right once mentioned that only a ghost can truly fend off another. I wonder…” His gaze remained intense, revealing his recent experience in handling supernatural occurrences. Maybe his unique nature, being caught between the realms of the living and the dead, was his greatest asset.
“I don’t know if you understand our language or if reasoning even matters to you,” Miles began, addressing the ghost child. “But I’ve made a commitment to protect this family today. Could you perhaps honor that and simply leave?”
However, before Miles could further make his case, a cold, unsettling green-black aura emanated from the ghost, casting an eerie hue over everything in its proximity.
“Is this the ghost domain manifesting itself?” Miles gasped, both astonished and alarmed. The ghost child’s rapid adaptation and evolution signified that it was far from an ordinary ghost.
Miles steeled himself, deciding, “This entity poses a significant threat. For everyone’s safety, it must be dealt with immediately.”
Suddenly, in an unexpected move, the ghost child’s foot seemed to melt through the floor, causing it to descend rapidly through the building’s levels. Almost simultaneously, Miles advanced, his distinctive red aura flaring up before evaporating from the family’s sight.
The ghost domain shifted in tandem with the plunging child — from the sixteenth floor, it moved to the thirteenth, then swiftly to the ninth.
And just as they were on the verge of reaching the ground level, Miles swiftly withdrew the ghost domain, halting its descent.
“Bang!”
The sound was deafening. The ghost baby had made a direct descent from the sixteenth floor, and the impact was brutal. Its once fluid form was now crumpled, lying contorted and misshapen on the cold floor below.
From his vantage point above, Miles stared down intently at the unmoving figure. Deep down, he knew that while the ghost baby might appear incapacitated, it was far from being defeated.
Glancing at his wristwatch, a sense of urgency gripped him as he noted that his window of opportunity within the ghost domain was swiftly closing.
“Priority one: Ensure Coral’s family is out of harm’s way. Dealing with this entity comes next,” Miles mentally strategized. Given that this was among the most formidable spirits he’d faced thus far, prudence was paramount.
With a swift, almost imperceptible motion, Miles disappeared from where he stood.
Only a few heartbeats after his exit, the grotesque figure of the ghost baby began to show signs of life. What once looked like a pile of flattened flesh slowly began to quiver and contort. In a matter of moments, it was inching its way back to an upright position, revealing its resilience and eerie tenacity.